“Negligence has been established on the part of the arrested driver, who has been arrested in the Old Rajender Nagar case. He was driving the vehicle very fast, due to which the gate of the coaching centre broke,” DCP (Central) M Harshvardhan said.
“Before he hit the building gate, a street vendor had tried to stop him,” he added.
The driver was identified by the police after videos of his vehicle passing through the flooded road went viral on social media.
The water flow towards the institute became faster after the vehicle passed by, flooding its premises, the police said according to news agency ANI.
“At the beginning of the video, the gate of the coaching institute was fine, but after the car passed, it broke and fell down. The accused driver has no connection with the coaching owner or the building owner,” the DCP said.
In a major mishap at Rau’s IAS coaching centre in central Delhi’s Old Rajender Nagar, three students died after rainwater accumulated on the road flooded the library in the basement on Saturday evening. There were 30 students in all at the centre.
Pushed by water, basement door collapsed
The water that collected in Rau’s IAS coaching centre in Old Rajender Nagar ultimately filled its basement, causing a death and creating a severe situation that required the intervention of divers. Students at the spot described the situation as “horrific” and one they had never imagined being caught in. Some students also claimed a similar condition a week ago when the street there had waist-deep rainwater.
Reports suggest that the room in the basement where the victims were trapped had a biometric door that was allegedly jammed due to a short-circuit caused by rainwater.
What the coaching institute said
Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching centre on Sunday issued a statement after three UPSC aspirants drowned in the flooded basement following the heavy rain in Delhi.
“In light of the recent tragic event involving the students of Rajendra Nagar Rau’s IAS Study Circle, Rau’s IAS Study Circle extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased students, Tanya Soni, Nevin Dalvin, and Shreya Yadav. Our thoughts are profoundly with the families during this incredibly difficult time,” read the statement.
“As we await further developments, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing support to the affected families and addressing any concerns that arise from this incident,” the statement added. The UPSC coaching institute also asserted that it is cooperating with all the relevant authorities in the ongoing probe of the incident.
“RAU’s IAS Study Circle is fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigations into this tragic incident. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and agencies to ensure that all necessary information is provided and that the investigation proceeds with the utmost diligence,” the coaching centre said.